Black Coffee in The Morning
by Sunpops1
Summary: Just me, rambling as Rei. Probably dumb and inaccurate, but take it. It's just me trying to get back into the writing flow, if anything, and Rei is like, my favorite character
1. Chapter 1

Conan Edogawa was a smart child.

No, that was an understatement, the kid had outsmarted Rei several times, and he was a trained, experienced adult working for the secret police.

Conan Edogawa was an enigma.

That was an understatement too, he was a unsolvable that even the man regarded to be as smart and as talented as Sherlock Holmes, he couldn't figure the child out. Couldn't figure out why Conan kept himself in first grade when he could graduate high-school with his mind. Couldn't understand why the kid didn't use his mind, didn't admit to the fact he could beat _anyone_ in a battle of wits.

Rei offered to pay for his coffee that morning, surprised the boy actually came alone. (An eight year old, ordering a coffee, black. He was a young rough detective, hardboiled, stuck in the body of a child. But that was impossible, wasn't it? No, it's possible, but improbable. He'd sooner believe that a pig could naturally sprout wings.)

Conan Edogawa was dressed in regular clothes today, not in the overly childish suit and bowtie he regularly came around in. It sold the act of innocent child, he guessed. The suit 'my mom picked out for me.' It also meant he doubted there was a case today, (but with the way he attracted death, it was an almost overly optimistic notion.) considering that had his voice-changing bowtie.

 _Voice-changing bowtie._

Rei felt kind of childish saying it, but it was advanced gadgetry, no matter how it was dressed up to be fitting for a kid.

He slid the mug over to the boy, getting an overly excited "Thank you Amuro-san!" in reply to the action. It sounded kind of mocking, even. But Rei was aware of how paranoid the boy must be, whatever secret he must be hiding. One that makes him aware of the black org, that makes him so smart, at least at such a young age.

There are times he sees the boy actually happy, a joy, a shine in wide blue eyes. (Not the threatening one when he's concentrating, that one sends chills down Rei's back. No, it's not the intelligent staredown that would make any grown adult _scared_.) It's when he's happy, a new detective book, or even the happiness when he solves a mundane mystery. A fish in the water, and that time, no one gets hurt. It makes Rei happy, when Conan is happy. He's a good kid, and a good person.

It's rare to find someone good like that.

Conan Edogawa, his current area of interest, of amazement. "Conan-kun, you're really amazing, you know that?"

"Amuro." He turns his head to face Conan, "I think you're pretty cool, too."

He feels kind of proud of himself, probably too much when he just got praised by an 8 year old child. But really, that's not what he is, _he's Conan Edogawa._ The kid who claims to be from America, who speaks fluent Japanese and English, who loves detectives, who's seen too much.

Conan reminds him of himself, if nothing else.


	2. Chapter 2

Rei Furuya did not care to say much when he stepped in the cafe the next day, there never seemed to be too much to say. Some small talk was exchanged with Azusa, polite hellos and talking about what they'd done the night before. Rei let Azusa fill in the silence on his end, (he couldn't just say he'd taken his night to drive around with a highly wanted criminal) some story about Mouri on television again.

Mouri Kogoro, the man was a bumbling fool. Endearing sure, but the only time he ever really showed real detective skills was when he was around his wife (he'd overheard this from a conversation between her and her friends. It was followed by some praise about his sandwiches and a flustered 'thank you' on his part.)

Flustered.

Because he had a role to play, as Amuro Tooru, and no matter how smart he was it was sometimes hard to remember. He couldn't save everyone like this ( _if scotch were any example)_ , but it wasn't as if he could let the innocent people know that he was just such a cool cop, cool detective. Albeit; one that got angry at people like Akai Shuichi at the worst times and let his pure hatred cloud his judgement.

He could've gotten him, if he'd taken Conan Edogawa's actions into thought.

But he hadn't, and Akai had gotten away unpunished. Unpunished for killing an officer, making it seem right because _it's part of the job, right?_ It's true the organizations didn't work together, but somehow he had driven his teammate, his _friend_ to suicide. He didn't even give the mercy to him to kill him himself, as _part of the job._

"Amuro-san, you're gripping the glasses a little too hard." Snapping out of it he turned to see Azusa looking at him worriedly, one hand reaching out slightly, looking as if ready to stop him, ready to comfort him, probably. "Is something the matter?"

Right.

He let a laugh slip from his lips, seeming genuine and clumsy, rubbing the back of his head and replying. "Sorry, I guess I don't feel myself today, Azusa-san."

The woman flashed him a smile, the gentle curve of lips that was so nice and innocent, Rei felt good seeing it. Just like with Conan. All he wanted was the best for his Japan, his people in Japan, all the people he had to protect.

Conan must feel the same way. Hiding his secret. Supposedly the boy had been around for nearly a year now, truly the boy was terrifying.

The boy had even found him out. Quickly. Yet, Rei still didn't know his secret.

He really should focus on his important duty, for Scotch, for Japan. Yet even with justice, he was still a curious detective at heart. No matter how old one got, they couldn't stop the fact they longed to have a puzzle they couldn't crack, even with lives at line. A true detective would want to figure it out, they never take the easy way out.

So many false accusations at the hands of people, not ones who didn't have the intelligence, but never looked deep enough into a puzzle, into a mystery.

But that didn't mean they weren't nice people, people like Mouri Kogoro, people like Megure. Rei didn't necessarily respect them for their detective work, but rather their pure determination to be good people, the years and years they spent risking their lives, even if they weren't the smartest, the strongest, or the most curious. They were necessary to battle the people who didn't have such a strong sense of duty.

People who were surprisingly reckless, like Rei Furuya, like Conan Edogawa.

Yes they constructed plans, took their time, but they spent so much time building delicate houses of cards. They created masterpieces, but they were flawed, that if someone were to blow in it just so,

It would all fall apart.

"Maybe you should head home, Amuro-san. If you're worried about me working alone, it's early enough I could call in a replacement before we even open to the public…" Yes that's right, they were washing dishes, preparing foods before it was really time to open up. That way service could be fast for the morning rush. "I think someone who didn't have a shift today actually wanted to work today instead of Saturday, so-"

"No, no, no, it's fine Azusa." He waved her off, "I think I'm just a little tired."

He _was_ kind of tired.


End file.
